Daycare Dilemma
by DeJean Smith
Summary: To mack on or not to mack on, that is the question for Pre-K teacher Bella Swan once she meets her new student's Poppy. A birthday drabble-ish work for Diane.
1. Chapter 1

**Special birthdays require a special something. So, I came up with a little something for Diane. I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: This is unbeta'd, un-preread, and written partially during a UNC-Duke ACC Semi-final game. Go Heels!**

Daycare Dilemma

1

"Oh. My. Gawd. He was so hot."

Bella shook her head as she finished preparations in her classroom. Irena's gawking over half the male population that crossed the threshold of Tant Academy was no surprise, but it was an annoyance she could do without.

"I mean, really…"

Bella heard trill that usually accompanied the full body shudder Irena was wont to do.

 _Poor guy_.

Hopefully, he had escaped the drop-off area unscathed. Irena's shirts had a nasty habit of popping buttons due her discount enhancements.

 _Boobs R Us._

Bella felt a shiver of her own coming on.

"Shame his kid's are eee tea…"

"Finish that word, and it will be your last while in our employ, Miss Denali."

Bella smiled to herself as she counted six pieces of green paper and laid them aside. Ms. Diane took no prisoners when it came to her students, loving each as if he or she were her own flesh and blood. The founder of Tant Academy made no bones about her belief that every child deserved to be treated with respect and nurtured to his or her fullest capabilities. Upon signing the employment paperwork, each employee received a list of terms _not_ to be used when describing a person's abilities or limitations.

Irena was tap dancing all over that list this morning.


	2. Chapter 2

2

"Dang, I need more coffee if I'm going to deal with her today," Ms. Diane grumbled as she knocked on the doorjamb to Bella's classroom.

She motioned for the boss to enter between counting gold disks. With St. Patrick's Day rapidly approaching, her students were going to make pots of gold and leprechauns to decorate the hallway.

Diane studied the neat piles Bella was preparing. Seven stacks ready to go.

"So, we have a new student."

Bella looked up, pausing in her task. Somehow, she knew where this was going.

"Doesn't Irena's class have only four?" she asked evenly, not that she would wish her worst enemy on that classroom.

"The twins move in two weeks."

Bella knew this was coming. Ben and Angela were friends from way back in high school, and his job was temporarily transferring them out of state. They had decided to move as a family, rather than do the long-distance thing.

"And this young lady needs a little extra assistance." She held out a registration form.

Before turning it to read, Bella could already see the medications and special requests section was completely filled.

"And you're the best trained to handle Carlie's needs," Diane continued.

"When does she start?"

"Today."


	3. Chapter 3

3

Carlie Cullen was a sweetheart. With pale, blue eyes, white-blonde hair, and medium-toned skin scattered with random freckles, nearly every boy at Tant Academy claimed her as his girlfriend. A few months shy of six years old, she was already missing one top, front tooth which added to her charm.

Born at a mere 22 weeks, Carlie had started life battling to breathe, much less cry, and it was that fighting spirit that she brought to everything, whether it be to be heard over the rest of the class when her oxygen-damaged vocal chords gave her a low, raspy voice or claiming her place in line for the swings when her walker caught on a rock and delayed her from joining her classmates on the playground.

"I save-ded you a swing, Carlie," Jakey Black murmured, promptly hopping of the one he had been enjoying moments before she appeared.

"That's not fair! I wanted to swing! I'm gonna tell!"

Bella turned to see Mike Newton's son, Matthew, bend down to pick up a handful of dirt.

"Matthew Newton!" she warned, pleased he made the right choice to drop the soil before brushing his hands off on his pants.

Jessica was going to have a fit. She was one of _those_ moms. The ones that sent their kids to pre-k in clothes that cost more than Bella's car payment and then would bitch about a stain or tear.

"There's an open swing on the other playset."

Matthew's shoulders dropped, and she swore she heard him whine about it being sooooo far away. Not that it stopped him from dashing across the yard.

"Thank you for being a good friend, Jakey," Bella said with a smile as he held the swing very still for Carlie.

"My Pop-Pop says I should he'p others like I he'p him."

"I'll be sure to tell Pop-Pop what a superstar helper you've been today."

Jakey beamed as he began to gently push Carlie on the swings.

Pop-Pop, or as she knew him, Billy Black, was her father's oldest friend. A car accident had left him confined to a wheelchair, but that did not stop him from experiencing life to its fullest. Much like Carlie.


	4. Chapter 4

4

"Miss Beyya?"

Bella looked up to see Carlie watching her from her nap mat.

"You're supposed to be resting, sweetie," Bella whispered, not wanting to disturb the others.

"Poppy says I'm grumpy if I don't take a nap."

"I get grumpy if I don't nap, too."

 _Poppy must be her grandfather._

"But I don't want to nap."

"You don't have to nap, hon. Just close your eyes."

"But I'll see the wreck."

Bella didn't know what to say. She had no idea about Carlie's past. As a pre-k teacher, she was only with the kids from 7:30 in the morning through 2 in the afternoon. Carlie was a full day student and transferred over to the daycare side of the academy while Bella went home. Most of the kids at Tant Academy were part of long-established Folks families, so she knew them or knew of them, but Carlie had moved to town recently and Bella had not met her family.

Perhaps they would come to Spring Fling in a few weeks, and she could introduce herself.

When Bella looked back, Carlie had fallen asleep, her eyes just slightly open and a soft snore escaped her lips. A bit of her hair had escaped the ponytail it had been wrangled into and clung to her cheek. Bella smiled and turned back to her online search for the right video to show for their upcoming "Q and U get married" lesson.


	5. Chapter 5

5

Wedding invitations were sent, each one written in careful, pre-k hand.

Decorations were created and arranged by the class, the favorite being tissue paper flowers.

Soft music played through the laptop on Bella's desk, selected by each student.

Snacks (daisy butter cookies and tropical punch Kool-Aid pouches, pretzels, and chicken nuggets) were artfully arranged on a back table, donated by parents.

Two lines, alternating boy-girl-boy-girl and then girl-boy-girl-boy, stood as all of Tant Academy's pre-k students gathered to celebrate. Laminated crowns with either the letter 'Q' or the letter 'U' adorned each child's head as they tittered and giggled.

The wedding was a success. No one fussed, no one fought.

Miracles never ceased.

Jakey may have smiled extra broadly as he paired up with Carlie, and they held hands before walking down the paper aisle the class had created, drawing and writing on it all of the 'QU-' words they could think of over the prior week.

It was the first day Carlie walked in class without her walker, and she beamed the entire time.


	6. Chapter 6

6

"I won't be here tomowo, Miss Bewya," Carlie said as she grabbed her backpack and lunchbox.

"We will miss you, Carlie." She smiled at the little bundle of energy she had grown to love over the last few weeks.

Carlie Cullen was a bright, young lady with a creative mind. She was one of those kids that was a pleasure to teach.

Now, that wasn't to say she was perfect and never caused a squabble or a fuss. One day, Bella made the mistake of putting away the dress up clothes just a little too quickly, and Carlie's tiara got mixed up with the classroom items. The wail could be heard down the hall, and Ms. Diane had to come translate panicked six-year-old into a language Bella could understand.

"I ha' to go to … go to …" Carlie stumbled over the name before shrugging. "Poppy and me are going to get the pisical terrapist."

"The physical therapist?"

Carlie nodded. "I'm getting strwonger. We're going to get new exercises for me."

"That's wonderful, Carlie!" Bella grinned down at the little girl, pride evident in her features.

"I know."

Carlie shouldered her backpack and skipped out of the room on her way to her afternoon classroom and Miss Tia.


	7. Chapter 7

7

Saturday morning in Forks and the Thriftway was a hopping place. Bella had put off her least favorite adult chore—grocery shopping—to the point she had a dribble of milk to add to her coffee, two heels of loaf bread, and a single egg for breakfast. Lunch was going to be an even sadder affair if she didn't get her behind in gear and get some food.

Tossing her hair up into a ponytail after tugging on a pair of jeans and a Forks PD tee shirt she had swiped from her dad when she was in high school, Bella took a quick glance in the mirror to determine if today merited makeup before leaving the house. Seeing no evidence of overnight zit eruptions, she grabbed her keys and headed to her car.

Up and down each aisle she ventured, tossing her selections into her cart, paying little if any attention to the other shoppers until …

"Beep! Beep!"

Bella startled at the little voice before spinning around to find Carlie sitting in a racecar shopping cart, grinning broadly at her teacher.

"Hi, Miss Bewya! Do you need to get beer, too?"


	8. Chapter 8

8

A deep, soft groan caught Bella's attention, and she looked up to see a young man running one hand through his hair, shaking his head. Bella guessed the man was around her age of twenty-four. He was handsome, but he looked nothing like Carlie.

She was blonde while he had the most unique auburn hair, an intriguing mix of red and brown and blond.

She had clear, blue eyes. His were a deep, mossy green.

Her skin was cream with a touch of coffee while his was almost as fair as Bella's.

They both shared an adorable sprinkle of freckles across the nose, though.

Perhaps he was her babysitter.

"It's my teacher, Poppy!"


	9. Chapter 9

9

"Your teacher?"

Poppy's voice was a low rumble, and Bella found it very attractive, much like the rest of him.

He straightened up, a light flush tinging his cheeks, before he extended one hand.

"Edward Cullen. Or as Carlie likes to call me, Pop E." He made a concerted effort to enunciate the two parts of his name.

"Ohhhh!" Bella's eyes widened as she shook his hand. "I've thought she's been calling you Poppy!"

Edward quirked up one side of his mouth in a half-smirk and nodded. He knew. It happened often enough.

"I get that a lot. At her last school, I would get ID'ed every time I came to pick her up." He leaned over conspiratorially. "One of the front desk people couldn't get over the fact someone so young could afford to send a child to their school. Or that I'd want to be called Poppy. But it's what she came up with after the … after."

Something about the way he stopped and straightened up told her there was a story there, but it was not the time nor place to go into details.

A ding interrupted their talk, and he quickly looked at his phone.

"Uncle Em is asking where we are, Miss C."

"He wants his cookies."

Bella noticed three packages of chocolate goodness next to a case of beer and would have sworn she heard Edward mumble _and beer_.

"It was very nice to meet the famous Miss Bella," Edward said with a smile.

"See you Monday, Carlie." Bella smiled and waved good-bye.

"Pop E!" Carlie whisper-yelled, motioning for him to bend down.


	10. Chapter 10

10

Carlie frantically whispered something into Edward's ear. Thinking the young child needed the facilities or something equally private, Bella pushed her cart down the aisle, selecting a few things as she went.

Bella smiled to herself. She truly enjoyed seeing her students outside of the classroom and Carlie's smile had brightened her day. That almost made the chore of grocery shopping bearable. Almost.

Fortunately, it did not take much longer, and she was soon on her way home with plenty of good eats.

She had no sooner finished putting away her groceries when her phone rang.

 _Rosalie_.

"Heya, Lady!"

"Bella! So glad I caught you. Um…we are having a cookout this afternoon for Emmett's brother who just moved to town, and we were wondering if you'd like to come. He doesn't know many people, and we thought it would be a great opportunity to introduce him around."

"Uh-huh."

Bella could smell a set up a mile away.

"So, can you come over?"

Forks was a small town. Not too many people moved there. The chances she didn't know who the brother was were quite small.

"His name wouldn't happen to be Edward, would it?"

Bella remembered Emmett and his brother were technically foster kids Dr. and Mrs. Cullen had adopted, giving each the choice to keep or change their last names. Edward had changed his. Emmett had not.

"How'd you know?"

"His daughter is in my class."

"Carlie? Oh. Bewla. Bella. Don't know why I didn't realize who she's been talking about. Damn pregnancy brain."

"Yep. It's me. So Emmett's who they were buying cookies for."

"Cookies?" The phone sounded as if it was held to Rosalie's chest and Bella heard her friend yell at her husband. Apparently, he was not supposed to partake in said food group and was in trouble.

Bella felt a modicum of guilt at causing her friend grief, but it quickly faded.

"Sorry about that. It's just since I can't eat them, he swore he'd do without until the baby was born."

Rosalie huffed a sigh.

"Anyhow," Bella's friend continued, "do you think you can come over? I know Carlie would love it."

Bella remained silent as she ran through the ramifications of attending a non-school related party with a student's parent.

"Bella, you're our friend. We are inviting you over. Don't over think this. Ms. Diane isn't going to fault you for going to a cookout. It's not like we're trying to marry the two of you off to each other."

"Let me text her and find out for sure."

"Great. Going to eat around 6 but we'll be in the back yard doing cornhole before that. Weather permitting."

"Weather permitting." Rainy Washington State was rainy. "I'll text you when I hear back. If it's ok, what can I bring?"

"Nothing but your sweet self, buttercup."

"And maybe cookies!" Emmett called from the background.

Rosalie growled and then laughed at her husband's antics before saying her good-byes and hanging up.


	11. Chapter 11

11

Ms. Diane had no issues whatsoever about Bella going to Rosalie and Emmett's for a cookout for his brother who happened to be the parent of one of Tant Academy's students. There were a couple of rather blunt _don'ts_ in the text exchanges, but they had nothing on the _do's_ that Ms. Diane encouraged.

Apparently, Ms. Diane had found Mr. Cullen rather attractive and could understand an attraction Bella might have for the gentleman.

"I'm just going to dinner at his brother's house!" Bella muttered to herself as she texted that exact sentiment to her boss.

 _And in six weeks, Carlie graduates. Then it's open season on the man._

Bella felt her cheeks redden.

"Looks like I'm going to a cookout."


	12. Chapter 12

12

"Heya, Bella Bean!" Emmett said in a loud, rumbling voice. He greeted her at the door with his _Danger, Men cooking_ apron over jeans and a polo shirt. "Others are out back. Edward's trying to show Carlie how to throw. Maybe you can ease that tension."

Bella gave him a questioning look, but Emmett just motioned toward the back yard and told her drinks were in the cooler before he headed back to the kitchen.

"I don' understan'!" Carlie's voice rang out.

Bella peered around the corner of the house and saw Edward trying to show a frustrated almost-six-year-old how to toss the beanbag into the hole on a board halfway across the yard.

She listened as he related the rules and points and scoring, all of which went right over her head. Bella could only imagine the frustration Carlie must be feeling as she listened.

Edward ran his hand through his hair, causing it to stand straight up. Bella could almost hear his growl as he pinched his eyes shut and took a deep breath.

"Hey, guys!" she called out.

"Ms. Bewla! Tell Pop E that he don' know how to play."

"Well, Carlie, I'm not sure I know all the rules, either."

"As I was saying, Carlie," Edward began before repeating a long, drawn out recitation of the finer points of cornhole.

Bella picked up a beanbag and looked at the two boards with holes in them. Suddenly, she jogged over to the far board and dropped the bag into the hole, cheering for herself with her arms raised up in the air.

"Three points!"

Carlie giggled, grabbed a beanbag, and repeated what Bella had done. Edward watched in shocked silence as Bella and Carlie began running around the backyard, dropping beanbags into the holes and shouting and giggling as they announced their scores.

After the initial shock, Edward decided to jump in and soon the three were running all over the yard, laughing and having a grand time until they were called to eat.


	13. Chapter 13

13

After two mini sliders, half an ear of corn on the cob, three servings of fruit salad, and a bowl of ice cream the size of her head, Carlie succumbed to a food coma. Emmett picked the little girl up and followed by Rosalie, took her inside to put her to bed.

"We're staying here until I find us a place," Edward explained, watching the three disappear inside.

"Makes sense."

He took long draw off his beer before leaning back.

"Thank you," he murmured quietly.

"For?"

"For coming. Carlie saw you at the Thriftway and begged to invite you over for supper. And I haven't heard her laugh so much since the accident."

Bella picked at the label on her cider bottle.

"She's mentioned an accident before."

"Yeah. It's where she lost her parents."


	14. Chapter 14

14

"Her parents?"

"Were killed in a car wreck. She was in her car seat and just had a few cuts and bruises."

"But…"

How did she word all her questions about him being her parent and sharing a last name and…

"I'm technically her godfather. That's where the 'Pop E' comes from. Garrett was her Daddy. I was her Pop. I've filed to adopt her, but that takes time. Kate and Garrett, her mom and dad, were some of my best friends. We went to school together and when Kate turned up pregnant freshman year, I helped take care of Carlie while they took classes."

"What about your own education?" Bella remembered how premature Carlie had been. That had to be a nightmare once the child left the NICU.

Edward laughed in a self-depreciating way.

"School has never been an issue for me."

"What do you do?"

"I'm an architect. So I can go pretty much anywhere and work. Emmett's raved about how he loves Forks, so I thought I'd give it a try and God knows, Carlie needed to leave Chicago. Too many bad memories."

"So, here you are."

"Here I am."

He looked over his shoulder and caught Rosalie quickly pulling back from the window where she had been spying on them.

"Now, the question, Ms. Bewla, is what is Tant Academy's policy on teacher's dating student's parents."

"Are you asking me on a date, Mr. Cullen?"

"Yes, Miss Swan. I am. I don't want to create a dilemma for you, but I would certainly love to repeat this evening. Even if I have to wait until the end of the school year."

"I think we can arrange something before that."

She smiled and loved the grin back she received.

 **So, happy birthday, Diane! I hope you enjoy this little story I did on short notice.**

 **Thank you to Ms. Fran for providing the -ward suggestion. I greatly appreciate the little spark that created this nugget.**


End file.
